Tag Archives: Israel

The shift from covert attacks to open fighting between Iran and Israel illustrates that the regime in Tehran feels emboldened enough to confront and provoke its enemy, according to analysts. Last weekend’s clashes involving an Iranian drone launched from Syria, a downed Israeli jet and retaliatory airstrikes may also signal …

US President Donald Trump has declined to give a timeline for releasing Washington’s plan for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, saying that neither party was committed to the process. US President Donald Trump has declined to give a timeline for releasing Washington’s plan for peace between the Israelis …

Palestine will continue to seek a full membership in the United Nations despite the US veto which seems even more inevitable under the current administration, Nabil Shaath, the foreign affairs adviser of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told Sputnik. “I have just returned from Japan. Japan’s membership was vetoed five times by the …

Israel’s military on Sunday confirmed that its downed F-16 fighter jet had been hit by a Syrian antiaircraft missile — the first plane it has lost to enemy fire in more than 35 years. The Israel Defense Forces had been investigating whether the plane that crashed in Israel on Saturday …

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Israel’s top police officer amid reports the politician could be indicted as part of corruption probe as early as next week. Roni Alsheikh is Israel’s chief of police. Thomas Coex / AFP/Getty Images file On Wednesday, Police Chief Roni Alsheikh said on a Israeli TV that “powerful figures” …

Syria said Wednesday it has responded to “a new Israeli aggression” after aircraft targeted a military outpost near Damascus, claiming its air defense system destroyed most of the missiles. State news agency SANA said air defenses confronted the Israeli planes, which it said were flying over Lebanese territory when they fired …

Poland’s president, Andrzej Duda, announced that he would sign a highly controversial bill Tuesday that will ban most Holocaust accusations against Poles as well as descriptions of Nazi death camps as Polish — likely raising tensions with the United States and Israel, which have criticized the measure. An ally of the ruling right-wing Law and Justice Party who occasionally has been willing …

United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres has emphasized that the so-called two-state solution is the sole way out of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict, warning that the “negative trends” unfolding in the region could endanger the bid. “There is no Plan B. A two-state solution is the only way to achieve …

A number of recent reports have appeared to confirm one of the worst-kept secrets in the Middle East. In coordination with Egyptian authorities, Israel has for months been conducting clandestine airstrikes against jihadist groups operating in northern Sinai. The Israelis used unmarked drones, helicopters and jets to launch at least 100 strikes …

Israeli authorities have begun distributing deportation notices to thousands of African migrants. In letters delivered Sunday, Israel says the migrants have 60 days to accept the offer to leave the country for an unnamed African destination in exchange for $3,500 and a plane ticket. Those who don’t by Apr. 1 …

Israel’s prime minister and Holocaust survivors on Sunday bridled at a draft Polish law that would make it illegal to suggest Poland bore any responsibility for Nazi atrocities committed on its soil. The Israeli foreign ministry summoned Poland’s charge d‘affaires – the ambassador was abroad – to object to the …

By Mohamed Mohamed It is regrettable that the most basic human needs of millions of Palestinian refugees are now being used as a weapon in the Trump administration’s political assault on Palestinians. On January 16, the administration decided to withhold $65 million of a planned $125 million in US funding for the …

By Munshi Zubaer Haque In a first among the permanent members of UN Security Council, US President Donald J. Trump gave his recognition of Israel’s claim to sovereignty over the holy city of Jerusalem recently on a speech that sparked global outrage across national governments and triggered mass protests among …

Muslim parliamentarians have condemned US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital as a threat to the global peace and a violation of the Palestinian nation’s rights. “We consider this measure as a threat to the international peace and security and an all-out violation of the unalienable …

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said his “solid assessment” is that the American Embassy will be moved to Jerusalem in the coming year, but President Trump said otherwise later in the day. “By the end of the year?” Trump told Reuters in an exclusive interview. “We’re talking about different scenarios. …

A car bomb has targeted an official with the Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas in southwestern Lebanon, injuring him. The explosive went off in the Bustan al-Kabir neighborhood in the east of the city of Sidon on Sunday, Lebanon24 news website reported. It said early reports indicated that the target …

A series of mysterious attacks against the main Russian military base in Syria, including one conducted by a swarm of armed miniature drones, has exposed Russia’s continued vulnerability in the country despite recent claims of victory by President Vladimir Putin. The attacks have also spurred a flurry of questions over …

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tuesday that people have genuine grievances that should be addressed by the government, even as he blamed foreign powers for a wave of protests that hit Iran in recent weeks. His remarks — which come as demonstrations have dwindled — constituted a rare …

Israel attacked Syrian territory three times early on Tuesday with jets and ground-to-ground missiles, Syria’s army said in a statement carried by state television. The army said Israeli jets fired missiles at the Al-Qutaifa area near Damascus from inside Lebanese airspace at 2:40 am, and that Syrian air defenses hit …

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence will visit Egypt, Jordan and Israel from Jan. 20 to 23, the White House said on Monday, embarking on a tour originally planned for last month after President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Pence will hold talks with Egyptian President Abdel …

Israel on Sunday identified 20 activist groups from around the world whose members will be banned from entering the country over their calls to boycott the Jewish state, stepping up its fight against a movement it views as a serious threat. Israel last year enacted a law that would ban any …

US Vice-President Mike Pence’s trip to Israel has been postponed, amid Palestinian protests against the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. But why does the move remain popular with evangelical Christians in the US? The Reverend Johnnie Moore, a 34-year-old evangelical Christian, is closer than most to President …

French President Emmanuel Macron has warned the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia against making belligerent statements on the recent developments inside Iran, calling on them to tone down their rhetoric which, he said, could lead to “war.” “The official line pursued by the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia, who are …

Thousands of Palestinians took to the streets of Gaza and the occupied West Bank for the fourth Friday in a row in protests against U.S. President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Palestinian health officials said at least 50 protesters had been wounded by live fire, mostly along …

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands at the Israel museum in Jerusalem. Israel and the United States have secretly signed a joint strategic action plan to cooperate in their efforts to deal with Iran’s nuclear threat and growing ambitions in the region, The Times …

A Belarusian-Israeli convert to Islam was convicted Wednesday of attempting to join the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria. Valentin Vladmir Mazlevski, 40, who was arrested nearly a year ago while trying to travel to Syria via Turkey, was convicted by the Nazareth District Court of contact with a foreign agent, attempting …

By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz Washington DC On December 6 President Donald Trump appeased his Evangelical constituency by unilaterally proclaiming Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, where the US embassy should relocate. Palestinians consider this proclamation as a denial of their rights to East Jerusalem as capital of their own future state. The …

Syrian army forces backed by Iranian-backed militias pushed deeper into the last rebel-held enclave near a strategic border area with Israel and Lebanon in a new expansion of Tehran’s influence in the war-torn country. The army and the Shi‘ite forces advanced east and south of the Sunni-rebel held bastion of …

More than 120 countries defied President Donald Trump on Thursday and voted in favor of a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for the United States to drop its recent recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Trump had threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favor. …

China called for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, Xinhua state media reported Thursday. “China understands the Islamic countries’ concern about the status of Jerusalem,” a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, adding that China “calls for a …

By Mohamed Mohamed* December 13, 2017 The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently announced a plan to repeal government regulations which ensure that internet service providers (ISPs) treat all data equally. This principle is known as “net neutrality,” and is intended to prevent ISPs from blocking or slowing down certain content, …

Palestinian officials are reportedly pushing for a UN Security Council resolution that rejects US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s “capital.” The measure, which would strongly condemn Washington’s decision and demand its reversal, would almost certainly face a US veto, diplomats said Wednesday. According to senior …

The Trump declaration recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and relocating the U.S. embassy there is as historically significant to Israel’s control of Jerusalem as the Balfour Declaration was to recognizing the rights of the Jewish people in Palestine. But according to new revelations, the announcement could be part of a …

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) convenes an urgent summit in Istanbul on Washington’s contentious declaration on Jerusalem al-Quds, with the Turkish foreign minister urging Muslim nations to respond by pressing the world for the recognition of the city as the capital of a Palestinian state. Representatives from 57 OIC members are …

Former French president Francois Hollande condemned on Tuesday the move by the United States to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel at a time of high political and military tensions around the world. Speaking to delegates at the 10th annual Arab Strategy Forum in Dubai, Hollande criticised President Donald …

Russian fighter jets have flown dangerously close to American warplanes in eastern Syria over the past month — including one near-collision — in what American officials say is a pattern of daily Russian violations of an agreement to separate rival forces converging on the last main pocket of Islamic State …

Israeli security forces were readying themselves Friday for mass demonstrations by Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem in response to a statement made by President Trump recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Israel police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said units had been beefed up in and around the Old City. However, …

Jordan’s King Abdullah voiced his concern Wednesday over US President Donald Trump’s plans to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the US embassy there, saying the city is key to regional stability. Trump’s expected announcement has prompted a chorus of criticism and concern from regional and world figures — …

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Israel’s “irreplaceable” relationship with the United States in his first public remarks after the Trump administration said it would move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, but he did not address the move directly and instead stressed the threat of Iran. Netanyahu lauded Israel’s expanding …

Syrian air defense units shot down three Israeli missiles that were targeting a military post near the capital, Damascus, only days after the Jewish state hit a military position nearby, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported on Tuesday. There was no Israeli comment on the incident. SANA did not …

U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo said on Saturday he sent a letter to Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani and Iranian leaders expressing concern regarding Iran’s increasingly threatening behavior in Iraq. Speaking during a panel at the annual Reagan National Defense Forum in Southern California, Pompeo said he sent …

The Israeli Defense Forces launched several missiles at a strategic target close to the Syrian capital Damascus, Israeli and Arab media reported, saying it was an airstrike. Syrian state TV said “military positions” were targeted by surface-to-surface missiles. Several missiles were reportedly fired toward a target in the countryside south of Damascus, …

Some of President Trump’s senior national security aides convened at the White House on Monday for what was expected to be an uncomfortable but straightforward discussion. On the table was how the administration would handle an upcoming deadline to say whether it would again defer its promise to move the …

Secret British documents have revealed that deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had agreed to resettle Palestinians in Egypt over three decades ago. According to the documents, obtained exclusively by the BBC following a Freedom of Information Act disclosure request, Mubarak was responding to an American request when he made his offer. The …